Pushing Hannibal
by rainydaysuedes
Summary: What happens when Ned the Piemaker and friends are enlisted to help prove Will Graham's innocence? Set after the first season of each show, this story (in which you will find uncomfortable cooking classes, cannibalism, and a universal love of puppies) will prove to be just as strange as you're assuming.


I dedicate this story to President Obama and Hugh Dancy's American accent, both of which bring rainbows and happiness into my mediocre life. Also special thanks to Kalie, who helped me brainstorm some ideas and for being my personal Lee Pace consultant, and also Carlie, for being the best internet friend ever and having faith in this fanfic from the start.

**Author's note: **This story takes place after the first season of each show, respectively. Some things from my others stories, "Worthy" and "Undeserving" are referenced, so while you do not need to read those before you read this, it might add to your reading experience. I began writing this before the second season of Hannibal aired, but now I've watched it and I know what happens. The events in this story will NOT match up to what canonically happened on the show. And finally, I am but a mere teenager whose only source of income is a meager weekly allowance from parental units; needless to say, I don't own any of these characters.

* * *

**Baltimore, Maryland**

Hannibal Lecter awoke from a pleasant dream that featured the always-enjoyable suffereing of actual-puppy-kicked-too-many-times Will Graham. He sat up in bed, yawned, and stretched leisurely.

_Today shall be a good day, Hanni,_ he thought. He decided to treat himself with a nice hot plate of human liver for breakfast. Nomz.

He got up, showered, and dressed quickly. Whilst applying product in his graying hair, he began to sing to the tune of a song from a popular musical remake:

"Oh oh oh woke up today, feeling the way I always do! Oh oh oh hungry for something that's _illegal_ to eat, but I just love human meat!"

He made his way down the grand staircase, heading toward the kitchen. "The rhythm of their hearts, just tears me apart, it's like a message from up above! Oh oh oh pulling me to the best room of my house that I love..."

He pulled the pre-cut entrails out of their special place in the fridge and belted: "GOOD MORNING BALTIMORE! Every victim's an open door! Every night is a time to kill! Every sound just adds to the thrill!"

He began to knead and season the human meat with paprika. He'd go for something spicy today. "GOOD MORNING BALTIMORE! And someday when I make Will's heart pour, the world's gonna wake up and see... Baltimore! and me."

He gave a little twirl around the island, swinging his hips. "Oh oh oh look at this food! Great dishes don't exclude mine today! Oh oh oh I've got my cleaver and tabasco! I'm ready to go!

"There are voices in my head, of all the people I've made dead, they seem to say Hanni, it's up to you! Oh oh oh so don't try to stop me because my dream of ruining Will Graham's life will come true!"

He slid the tray and meat onto the top rack of the oven. "GOOD MORNING BALTIMORE! The neighbors suspect nothing next door! Even the feds haven't caaaaught on! Jack Crawford is my pawn!"

He washed his hands after dealing with the raw meat, because ew. "GOOD MORNING BALTIMORE! And some day when I make Will's heart pour, the world's gonna up and see... Baltimore! and meee."

"I've tricked them all, made them think Will's done wrong, they've accepted me even though I don't belong! I saw all the police arresting him: it should've been me but those fools are so dim (FOOLS ARE SO DIM)!"

He lept through the air, his styled locks flying away from his face. "Oh oh oh Alana gave Will a chance, but I ruined their romance, because I'm eeeevil! Oh oh oh something is messed up inside of me. I'm a cannibal, yee!

"Morals tell me no, but my tummy tells me go! There's no good in me, not one little part! Oh oh oh so don't make me wait for this food- I hope it's not too tart!"

The timer on the oven went off and he grabbed a hot mitt and pulled his meal out of the oven. "GOOD MORNING BALTIMORE! Every victim's an open door! Every night is a time to kill! The sound just adds to the thrill!"

He cut up the liver into fancy little triangles, and drizzled some gut juice that masquered as sauce on top. "And I promise Baltimore, that some day when I make Will's heart pour, the world's gonna wake up and see, gonna wake up and see..."

He grab a forked from the drawer and stabbed a piece of the meat. He took a bite, and through the food (human) in his mouth he proclaimed, "BALTIMORE! and meeeeee!"

* * *

**Quantico FBI Academy, Virginia.**

_Hannibal Lecter is not a murderer. Hannibal Lecter is not a murderer. Hannibal Lecter is not-_

"I heard about your visit with Will."

Her thoughts of what she'd told Will at the hospital interrupted, Alana Bloom looked up from the paperwork she'd been filling in to find Jack Crawford standing in the door of her office. She sighed.

"It wasn't a secret," she told him.

He shook his head. "It should have been. If word gets out that you weren't there on professional business there will be assumptions that-"

"That what?" she asked. She was usually very patient, always calm and collected, but recent events had taken their toll on her. "That he's my friend? That I care about what happens to him? Let them _assume_ that, Jack. It's the truth."

"Alana..." Jack sat down in one of the chairs across from her. "Will was -is- my friend, too. I know exactly how you feel. Confused. Betrayed. You want to help him, and so do I-"

"Do you?" She stood and began to pace the floor behind her desk. "Really? I told you to be careful with him. I told you he was getting worse. You pushed him too far and he went over the edge."

"I think he would have done what he did regardless. His mind has always been too malleable, too impressionable."

"No," Alana said. "No, I don't think so. He tried so hard to help people. He wanted more than anything to be good... He must be very sick."

"I know you hope he wasn't aware while committing the murders, but we have every reason to believe he had complete consciousness."

"And why is that?"

"As you know, Hannibal has been around quite often lately. He's been showing me some of his notes from his sessions with Will. He's found a difference in Will's known blackouts with the incidents of the murders. It's hard to explain, but I'm sure he'd be more than happy to speak with you about it. He knows how hard all of this has been for you."

She couldn't help but remember how Hannibal had acted at the hospital. She could still feel his eyes as they lingered on her whilst she walked to her car. She hadn't told anyone of their encounter, and she hadn't spoken to him since.

Maybe Will was had unknowingly killed people. Maybe he'd done it on purpose, enjoyed it. Maybe he was entirely innocent. She couldn't be sure of anything.

She knew one thing, however. She realized this as Jack said goodbye and left her office to continue with his work.

She no longer trusted Hannibal Lecter.


End file.
